Family Fun: Mondays are Fundays at Riverfront Park

Mondays are Fundays at Riverfront Park this summer.

The park has been hosting free family-friendly activities each Monday at different locations throughout the park. It’s a way to create more activity on a day of the week that historically hasn’t been as busy in the park, said communications manager Fianna Dickson.

This week, it’s spin art at the Looff Carrousel from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Aug. 9, there will be story time at the North Bank shelter near the Ice Age Floods playground from 10 to 11:30 a.m. And on Aug. 16, the activity will be chalk walk at the Central Promenade, north of the orange Howard Street bridge, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“We try to create a variety, so if families want to come every Monday, there’s something a little different,” Dickson said.

For both the spin art and the chalk walk, families can drop in at any time during the three-hour window to participate, she said. And, families can extend their stay at the park by visiting the carousel, the skate ribbon, playground or other areas.

“It’s an opportunity for families to build community in the heart of downtown,” she said.

And the additions to the park, like the basketball courts and the skate and wheels park, make it more welcoming to teens, too, she said. “We just love that there’s this space that multiple age groups can play and participate together.”

Other free activities this month include:

“Ice Age” Movie Marathon: In honor of the new Ice Age Floods playground, the park has been screening the “Ice Age” movies. “Ice Age: Continental Drift” screens Wednesday and “Ice Age: Collision Course” shows Aug. 11. The movies will start at 8:30 p.m. on a screen located near the playground’s slide tower.

Shakespeare in the Park: Spokane Shakespeare Society will produce “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the park this month. Shows are at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Aug. 20, 26 and 27; and at 2 p.m. Aug. 8, 22 and 29. Some shows are at the Pavilion, others at the Lilac Bowl. In September, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” will be staged.

“The idea is to expose kids or families to Shakespeare in a new way,” Dickson said.

Seating will open 30 minutes prior to curtain time. Audience members are invited to bring lawn chairs, blankets and picnics for during the show.

The park’s events team is working to create more opportunities for the community to enjoy the park, Dickson said.

“This beautiful park is renovated. Let’s fill it with positive activities that bring people into the park, give them some new things to try and again just build that sense of community,” she said.